False Appearances
by jadedvixen
Summary: When Lita lies to cover up the way she really feels about Jeff, will she end up in more trouble? Jeff-Trish, Jeff-Lita, Lita-Randy Orton and more...
1. Permission?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: PG-13.  
  
CONTENT: A few swear words, a little betrayal, a touch of violence.. things that make a good fic!  
  
SUMMARY: When everything they say are lies, and nothing is as it seems.. Jeff, Trish, Lita + many more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.   
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Reviews make me very happy. 'Nuff said. ^_^  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
The small blonde woman walked through the arena hallway, a bright smile gracing her lips. Approaching the locker room door, Trish Stratus ran a hand through her golden locks, her smile still shining brightly as she thought about the object of her happiness.  
  
Just a few minutes earlier, she and Jeff Hardy had beaten Victoria and Steven Richards in an intergender tag-team match. That alone was something to smile about - Trish couldn't stand the former (ah, she loved saying that!) Women's Champion or her psychotic boyfriend - that wasn't the reason she was grinning from ear to ear. What had her so happy was what happened in the ring after the match was over.  
  
Trish pushed the women's locker room door open, and stepped through the doorway. She froze in her tracks when she caught sight of the woman who sat on the couch against the far wall of the room. It had been a while since she'd last seen the redhead, and she certainly didn't expect her to turn up tonight. The blonde diva ran her gaze over Lita, studying her. Lita hadn't seen Trish yet, and instead had her attention focused intently on the television monitor in front of her.  
  
Her eyes were fixed to the screen, taking on an almost glassy look. Her brow was furrowed slightly, and her lips pressed together tightly. Trish frowned, wondering what held the redheaded diva's attention so fiercely, and what was causing that heavy look on her face, when she heard the commentary playing from the television screen.  
  
"Can we see another replay of that, JR?" Squealed King's voice excitedly. My God, that man had an annoying voice. It just grated on Trish's nerves like -- "Whoa! Look at that kiss! You think there was tongue involved there, JR?"  
  
"Well, I certainly think that young Trish Stratus and Jeff Hardy are fond of each other, judging by that display of affection, King."  
  
Trish felt a warm wave sweep over her entire body. The two RAW announcers were talking about the kiss she had just shared with Jeff. Her lips tingled at the memory. That kiss had been so intense, and passionate.. it was a complete culmination of everything that the two of them had been leading up to in the past month or so. It was extraordinary.  
  
The frown returned to Trish's face. But if that was what Lita was watching, then why did she have that look on her face? That look of disbelief and pain and --  
  
Oh shit.  
  
The canadian diva felt like kicking herself right then and there. She couldn't believe that she had just forgotten! How incredibly stupid and insensitive of her! Poor Lita.. no wonder she had that expression on her face. After witnessing that kiss without any warning from herself or Jeff..  
  
Trish let out an exasperated sigh at her own stupidity. Lita's head snapped up from the television, and immediately focused on Trish, standing in the doorway. Lita's frown fell from her face quickly, all the pain and betrayal that lined her features a second earlier melted away, and was replaced by a beaming grin. The redhead stood up from her seat on the couch, and walked towards her friend.  
  
"Trish! Congratulations, girl. I'm so happ --"  
  
"Oh, Li. I'm so sorry." The blonde stepped towards Lita, her arms outstretched.   
  
Lita accepted the hug, and upon pulling away looked at Trish, her brow raised quizzically. "Sorry about what, Trish?"  
  
The small woman glanced at Lita, sympathy in her eyes. "You know..."  
  
Lita shook her head. "No, Trish, I don't know."  
  
The Women's Champion hesitated, before continuing. "You seeing that. Jeff and I really should've talked to you beforehand about it and --"  
  
"Wait a minute. You mean you're sorry about me seeing..." Lita gestured towards the tv screen with her thumb. "... that kiss between you and Jeff?"  
  
Trish nodded, eyes wide.  
  
"Trish! I'm happy for the both of you!" The redhead smirked slightly. "And you guys look great together. I'm not sure who has the better fashion sense though..."  
  
Trish ignored her friend's humour, the look of sympathy still present in her brown eyes. "Li, it's okay to admit it."  
  
"Admit what?"  
  
"That it was kinda hard for you to see that. To see what's been going on between Jeff and myself lately."  
  
Lita shook her head defiantly. "I don't know what you're talking about, Trish."  
  
The blonde walked over towards the couch Lita had been sitting on earlier, and sat down, gesturing for the redhead to join her. Once Lita had sat down beside her, Trish continued. "Lita, I know that it hasn't been that long since you and Jeff broke up." Trish noticed how Lita's demeanour changed immediately at that comment. She squared her shoulders, clenched her jaw, and her eyes darkened. Trish continued, placing a hand on Lita's thigh. "How long has it been, exactly?"  
  
Lita blinked a few times, and took in a breath before replying. "Around two months." She paused. "Two months and one week yesterday."  
  
"And you two were together for an awfully long time. Something around six months, wasn't it?"  
  
"Ten." Lita corrected, her eyes glazing over in a distanced manner.  
  
"Ten months.. and you've only been apart for two." Trish nodded, taking in the information herself. "Li, I'm sure you must still feel something for him. That's why I can understand why watching the two of us --"  
  
Lita interrupted Trish, her voice hard and calm. "You know what? Thanks for your concern Trish, but I'm a big girl. I can look after myself. And you know what else?" Lita stood up from the couch quickly, glaring down at Trish. "I am fine with you two being together. More than fine, I'm HAPPY for you!" She looked over at the monitor. "I am quite over Jeff Hardy."  
  
Trish stood up as well, eyeing the redheaded diva, her voice raising. "Oh, really?"  
  
"Yes, really!"  
  
There was a small silence between the two women, and Lita rubbed her forehead, turning away from Trish. Lita couldn't believe they were having this conversation. Did Trish think she needed her pity? That she was so completely heartbroken by the youngest Hardy brother, that she needed her apology?  
  
Trish's voice interrupted Lita's thoughts. Her tone was quiet and subdued as she spoke. "Look, Lita.. I only want to ask for your permission."   
  
"My permission?" Lita scoffed, twirling around to face Trish once more. "You don't need my permission, Trish! I don't OWN Jeff!"  
  
"No, you don't. But I'm your friend, Lita. And I don't want to see you hurting, or in pain. That's why I want to get your blessing before anything further happens between Jeff and I."   
  
Lita sighed, looking down at the floor. ""I don't have any feelings for Jeff anymore, Trish. None other than friendship anyway. I'm fine with you and Jeff. I really hope you two are happy together. You both deserve to be happy." Never looking up, Lita turned around, and walked out the door, into the arena hallway.  
  
Trish sighed loudly as she fell back onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. Pushing her golden hair back over her head, she shook her head slightly to herself. That conversation definitely could've gone alot better. But it was over with. She had told Lita how she felt, and asked for her permission to be with Jeff. And Lita had given it.  
  
But Trish couldn't help but feel that Lita's permission would've meant so much more if she had actually looked her in the eyes. 


	2. Jealous?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: PG-13.  
  
CONTENT: A few swear words, a little betrayal, a touch of violence.. things that make a good fic!  
  
SUMMARY: When everything they say are lies, and nothing is as it seems.. Jeff, Trish, Lita + many more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.   
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Reviews make me very happy. 'Nuff said. ^_^  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita sat quietly on the hallway floor, he back leaning against the cold concrete wall. She watched as camera crew and other technicians stepped past her, making their way around the arena. Some superstars walked past her every now and again, although none bothered to stop and speak to her. Christian had given her a look that resembled something like pity, and it seemed for a second that he was going to stop and talk to her. Lita merely bowed her head, erasing any eye contact she had with the blonde canadian. Then she was left alone again.  
  
Bringing her knees up to her chest, Lita wrapped her arms around them, hugging herself tightly. That conversation with Trish had made her feel awful. Her heart was pounding, her knees were shaking, her stomach was twisting, her palms were sweating -- the last time she had felt that kind of sickness was the first time her and Jeff had kissed. And that was a good kind of sickness. Lita sighed as her hair fell forward, curtaining her face from the people that walked by. It had been a long time since she had felt that good kind of sickness. Lately it had all been the bad kind.  
  
Trish was right. It was hard seeing her and Jeff together like that. And so suddenly! Two months! Two months! It had only been two months... Lita found that she could barely look at another guy, while Jeff was able to start a brand new relationship? That was what hurt her the most. Not that he was moving on. Nor that he was doing it with Trish. It was just the fact that he was doing it all so soon. Lita felt the hot tears stinging at her eyes. Didn't their relationship mean anything to him? If it meant half as much to him as it did to her, he wouldn't be able to just move on so quickly.  
  
Reaching up to her face, she wiped away her tears with her palm. She sniffled slightly, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. She didn't want to talk about it, nor did she want to hear anyone's advice. She just wanted to be alone...  
  
"Hey."  
  
Oh, great.  
  
Lita looked up slowly, brushing her red hair out of her eyes as she looked up at the figure standing in front of her. "Hey." She replied, hoping to God that she didn't look like she'd been crying.  
  
Jeff Hardy chewed on his lip before moving beside her, and sliding down to the floor. He stuck his legs out in front of him as he turned to Lita. "What are you doing sitting down here?"  
  
She shrugged, playing with her fingernails and avoiding any eye contact with him. "Oh, you know. Just taking a break." She took a deep breath in. "Grabbing some alone time." Lita hoped Jeff would get the message and just go away.   
  
"Yeah, I get like that too sometimes."  
  
Lita nodded. "It's good to just get away from everyone once in a while, and just sit by yourself."  
  
The red and purple haired man nodded back, watching as Shawn Micheals and Kevin Nash stepped over his legs and continued on their way down the hall. "I understand completely."  
  
Damnit, couldn't he take a hint? Lita cursed under her breath. It didn't look like the youngest Hardy brother would be leaving her side any time soon.  
  
"Uh, I just talked to Trish."  
  
Lita felt her heart jump in her chest. No, no, no! This was the last thing she wanted to be talking about! Especially with Jeff, of all people! Maybe she could avoid talking about this, try changing the subject... "That's good. So, looking forward to Backlash? It should be a great pay--"  
  
"Li?" His green eyes focused on her intently. "She told me that you said you were cool with me and Trish being together."  
  
Damnit again! He wasn't going to drop this subject either. Typical, stubborn Jeff. Lita sighed, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Yep."  
  
He paused before speaking again. "If there's anything you want to say, you know, you can talk to me. Just because we're - well, I mean, just because we're not..." Jeff cleared his throat, stumbling over his words. "We're still friends, Lita. You're still my best friend."  
  
Lita clutched her stomach, feeling sick. God, 'still my best friend'? No way. He wasn't saying that, was he? She nodded weakly. "Yeah, I know."  
  
"So don't be afraid to tell me the truth. I want to know how you feel." He brushed a purple strand of hair out of his forehead, clearing his eyes as he looked at the redhead sitting beside him. "Trish was saying that she didn't quite believe you when you told her you were over me. And.. to be honest, I don't believe you either."  
  
Lita turned to face him, scoffing harshly. "Geez, someone's abit full of themselves."  
  
Jeff frowned, waving his hands. "No, no.. that's not what I meant. What I mean is, well, I know you Li. And I know that you feel things deeply and strongly. And I just don't think that you mean what you say when you talk about being over me." He coughed. "Being over 'us'."  
  
"Well you know what, Jeff? I mean it. I mean every word. And you and Trish better start believing it." She hesitated, her brain whirring as she stared at Jeff's face. "Cause you know why?"  
  
Jeff shook his head, eyeing Lita warily.   
  
"I have a date tonight."  
  
"What?!"  
  
She nodded, a small smirk appearing on her face. "That's right. I have a date." Lita folded her arms over her chest, looking smug. "Believe me now?"  
  
Narrowing his eyes at her, Jeff cocked his head slightly. "No. I don't." His eyes searched Lita, scanning every feature. "Who's the guy?"  
  
Frowning, she replied. "I don't think that's any of your business."  
  
Jeff's features softened, and a look of pity was visible sitting on his face. "Lita. Please, don't feel as if you need to make things up just to convince me that you're moving on--"  
  
"You want to know who it is, Jeff?" Lita stood up from her place on the floor, scowling at the man who still sat against the wall. "Randy Orton." She smiled slightly as she saw the look of anger cross his face. "That's right. I'm going on a date with Randy Orton tonight."  
  
"You can't be serious!" Jeff stood up as well, facing the redheaded diva with fire in his eyes. "Orton is a jerk!"  
  
Lita's brow furrowed. "What's the matter, Jeff?" Her voice was tiny and soft. "Jealous?" She brought a hand up to her lips, and gave a small smile.  
  
Jeff opened his mouth to rely, frowning fiercely at Lita. But he found no words. He couldn't speak. He tried to say something witty, say something hurtful - ANYTHING to retaliate against what Lita had just said. But he couldn't find anything to say. And as she turned away from him, and began walking down the hall, he realised that his speechlessness might have been because she was right.  
  
Lita took in deep and steady breaths as she walked down the hall, away from Jeff. She tried to keep herself from crying, biting her lip as she made her way down the arena hallway. She had to find Randy Orton.   
  
And quick. 


	3. Wrong Impression?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: PG-13.  
  
CONTENT: A few swear words, a little betrayal, a touch of violence.. things that make a good fic!  
  
SUMMARY: When everything they say are lies, and nothing is as it seems.. Jeff, Trish, Lita, Randy Orton + more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.   
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: I would love to know what you guys think of this chapter! I have lots in store for this fic, so read and review away!!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita stood in front of the door that was marked "Evolution". Walking around the arena, she had asked Goldust if he knew where Randy Orton would be. Goldust had told her to try the Evolution locker room - he knew that Batista was there, which probably meant that Orton was there with him.  
  
The redheaded diva raised her fist, ready to knock on the door. She heard voices coming from inside the room. Both male. Batista and Randy. She breathed out heavily, and let her hand fall back to her side. Who was she kidding? Why would Randy want to listen to her? And even if, by some weird chance, he did want to take the time to spend with Lita, would she be able to go through with it all? Ask him out on a date just to prove to Jeff that she was over him? Could she do that when she really wasn't?  
  
Lita shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts. She had to do this. Maybe this would even help her get over Jeff, forget about their relationship and how much she loved him. She took in a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Yes, this was definitely a good thing.  
  
"Ye-es?" The door swung open, Batista standing in the doorway, looking at Lita quizzically. She had never really talked to any members of Evolution, so she could understand why he would be slightly confused at her appearance at their locker room.  
  
"Um, hi. I was.. well, I was wondering if Randy was there?" Lita asked unsurely, quickly wiping at her eyes, hoping she didn't look like she had been crying.  
  
Raising one eyebrow, Batista hesitated, looking past Lita into the hallway, scanning the empty halls for anyone that might be with the redhead.  
  
Lita recognised what he was looking for. "I'm alone." She whispered quietly, looking down at her feet. "I just want to talk to him."  
  
Batista glanced back at Lita, giving her a slight smirk as he stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter the room. "Randy's inside. Come on in."  
  
The diva stepped into the room quietly, looking around as she entered. She spotted Randy across the other side of the room, sitting on a couch and watching a monitor screen in front of him. She heard Batista close the door behind her, and then she felt a large hand rest on her shoulder.  
  
"Randy?" Batista called out to his friend, and the brunette looked up from the monitor. "There's someone here to see you."  
  
Lita walked forward towards where Randy sat on the couch, nervous and unsure of herself. Here she was, about to ask a man who she had hardly talked to before out on a date purely because she wanted to prove something to her ex-boyfriend.  
  
How twisted.  
  
Randy watched as Lita approached, smiling widely. "Well, well, well - if it isn't the lovely Miss Lita." He stood up, stepping towards her. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?"  
  
"Listen.." Lita began, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering nervously. "I know we haven't talked to each other a lot, or even gotten to know each other at all. But I, uh, I would.."  
  
The redhead trailed off, wiping at her eyes discreetly as a tear splashed down her cheek. Way to go Li, she berated herself. Great first impression to make on a guy, crying as soon as you speak. To her surprise, Orton's cocky smirk slipped off his face at the sight of her tear, and he gazed at her intently.  
  
"Lita? Are.. are you okay?"  
  
At the sound of his concern, Lita's tears began to fall. "I'm sorry, Randy. I --"  
  
"No, don't apologise! What's the matter? Are you hurt?" Randy took Lita's hand in his own, and led her back to the couch, sitting her down gently and then sliding next to her.  
  
Lita tried to calm herself down, not wanting to shed anymore tears in front of Randy or Batista, who was standing beside the couch. Goddamn, she hated how such a small encounter with Jeff had such a large effect on her.  
  
Randy looked up at Batista. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?" He asked the big man, looking at him pointedly.  
  
Batista frowned. "Uh, no, I don't think --" He then saw the look on his friend's face. "Oh! You know what? I do have somewhere to be!" He turned away from the two on the couch, and made his way to the door. "Thanks for reminding me, Randy."  
  
After the door was shut, Randy turned his attention back to the woman sitting beside him. "You can tell me what's wrong, Lita. If there's something you want to talk about.."  
  
Lita controlled her tears, her breaths calming down. Suddenly, she was aware that Randy Orton was holding her hand. She looked up at him, and realised that he was staring at her intensely. She had always thought that Orton was a jerk, and that opinion was shared by many others. But watching him now, Lita began to think that maybe she was wrong.  
  
"I'm so sorry for going all sooky, Randy." She let out a small laugh, wiping her eyes one last time. "I haven't even told you why I came to talk to you in the first place!"  
  
"Actually, I must admit, I am pretty curious about that. We haven't ever really talked before." The brunette said with a slight smirk.  
  
Lita nodded. "And that's exactly why I came. I was wondering, if maybe, you'd want to go out to dinner or something one night? Just so we could get to know each other a bit. I think you're a great guy and --"  
  
"Wait."  
  
Lita felt her heart jump. Wait? He wanted her to stop? Oh, this wasn't going so well..  
  
"Are you asking me out, on like a date?"  
  
She laughed quietly at the smile that appeared on Randy's face. "Yeah, I guess I am."  
  
"But aren't you with Hardy?"  
  
Lita winced slightly at the mention of Jeff's name. Obviously Randy hadn't been paying attention to what had been happening lately. "Um, no. Not anymore."  
  
The young man frowned heavily. "You broke up?"  
  
She nodded. "Haven't you seen him with Trish?"  
  
At Lita's words, Randy frowned even more, his eyes narrowing in what looked like disbelief. "He left you for her?" When Lita nodded, confirming his question, Randy scoffed loudly. "That multi-coloured, body painting freak left gorgeous you, for that plastic Barbie Doll wannabe?"  
  
The redheaded diva couldn't help but chuckle at Randy's comments. She took in a breath. "Hard to believe?"  
  
"No. Not at all." Randy shook his head. "I always knew that guy was insane." He began smiling once again, looking at Lita. "Well then, if you're not with him, then I guess there's nothing stopping me saying yes to your date."  
  
Lita managed to let out a smile. "Thank you."  
  
He shook his head once again. "My pleasure. I should be thanking you." Randy squeezed her hand tightly, then let go. "So, when are we going on this date?"  
  
"Is tonight too soon?"  
  
"Oh, eager little thing, aren't you?" Randy chuckled, winking at Lita suggestively. "Alright then. I'll pick you up at around eight o'clock. What room are you in at the hotel?"  
  
"413." Lita stood up from the couch, looking down at Randy. "Thanks again, Randy. I guess I'll be seeing you tonight?"  
  
"You sure will. Eight sharp."  
  
Lita smiled and nodded, then turned away and walked out the locker room door, back towards the women's dressing room.  
  
Sitting back on the large couch, Randy sighed contently. So, that fiesty little redhead had a bit of a thing for him, did she? Ah well, he knew it. He knew that every diva in the company had a soft spot for the Orton charms.  
  
But that Lita.. she was something different. She was above all the rest of the eye candy that worked in the WWE. She was.. special. Eye candy none-the-less, but special. Randy folded his hands behind his head as he leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips.  
  
He couldn't wait for tonight. 


	4. Changing?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: PG-13.  
  
CONTENT: A few swear words, a little betrayal, a touch of violence.. things that make a good fic!  
  
SUMMARY: When everything they say are lies, and nothing is as it seems.. Jeff, Trish, Lita, Randy Orton + more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.   
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: It's always welcome. It keeps me alive! So keep sending it, please!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
"And then I told her that she had to be dreaming if she actually thought she had a chance with me! I mean, she was just a writer! As if I would be caught dead dating some nobody writer."  
  
Lita rolled her eyes for what must of been the millionth time that night as she watched Randy Orton laugh at his disgusting snobbery, and then stuff a piece of chicken into his mouth. The redhead picked at the food on her own plate, every now and then placing a morsel of food into her mouth and chewing it carefully. She sighed softly as she watched Randy chew his food loudly, and leering over at her. Tonight had not gone the way she had planned.   
  
Randy had picked her up from her hotel room right on time, and he had driven them to a nice, little restaurant for dinner. The drive there was pleasant enough, with Randy telling Lita how glad he was that she had asked him out. Lita was actually quite flattered that he was so excited to be in her company, until he had muttered something along the lines of 'knowing she had wanted him for a long time now'. She had let that comment pass, simply laughing along. If she had known what the date was going to be like - she would have leapt from the car while it was still moving if it allowed her to get away.  
  
They were halfway through dinner now, and Lita could only pray for the time to go faster. She'd had more than enough of Randy's sexist remarks, arrogant attitude and leering gazes. She could how many times Randy had looked at her face on one hand. The rest of the night he had spent talking to her chest. Yes, things were definitely not how Lita had expected them to be.  
  
And there was still dessert to go.  
  
"So, what exactly made you ask me for a date?" Randy asked suggestively, finishing the remains of the chicken on his plate. "Was it my charms? My good looks? My taut and trim body? Or was it my reputation with the ladies that brought you knocking on my door?"  
  
Lita gave out a small chuckle, inadvertently laughing at his narcissistic comments. She wondered how hurt his egotistical little mind would be if she told him the only reason she had approached him for a date was to make Jeff Hardy jealous? "Well, we've been working here together for almost a year now, but I still hardly know anything about you. I just thought it might be nice to get to know you a little better."  
  
Randy winked at Lita across the table, nodding his head slowly. "Oh, I get it. Well, I can't wait to get to know you better either." His tone was smooth and seductive, and in a few moments Lita realised what Randy was insinuating.  
  
"Ah, no, I think you misunderstood m--"  
  
"No, no, don't go all shy and try to take it back. What's said, is said Lita. I'm just sorry you'll have to wait until after dessert to get back to the hotel room, considering you're so eager."  
  
Lita sighed heavily. "Randy, really, that's not what I meant by getting to know you better. I just mean that I don't really know --"  
  
"Enough talk like that. Let's order some dessert." Randy turned around in his chair, scanning the restaurant for the waitress. He spotted her across the room, serving another party. He clicked his fingers loudly, calling out to her. "Waitress! Waitress! Service please!"  
  
The redhead groaned under her breath. How could anyone possibly be this rude? Especially when he had seemed to caring and genuine earlier... on the very same night! How could someone change so dramatically, so rapidly? Or had Lita's judgement been out of whack when she went to his locker room? Had she been so distressed due to her encounter with Jeff that she simply hadn't taken any notice of Randy's behaviour? Whatever the case was, she was completely regretting making the date in the first place.  
  
The waitress made her way over to their table, trying her hardest not to sent a dirty look Randy's way and stay as professional as she possibly could. "Yes, sir? Anything I can help you with?"  
  
"Yeah. We'd like some dessert now. So some menus would be good."  
  
The dark haired, young waitress looked over at Lita with something that resembled pity. Lita nodded her head. "A menu would be nice, thank you." The waitress nodded back, and turned and walked away to retrieve the menus.  
  
She came back shortly, handing them to Randy and Lita. They looked over the menus for a short time, and then ordered what they had decided on. Randy had ordered a bowl of ice cream, while Lita had chosen a small piece of cheesecake. After the waitress walked away, Randy smirked over at Lita. "Better watch how much you eat there, okay? Wouldn't want you ruining that beautiful figure of yours."  
  
Controlling the urge to pound his face in, Lita took in a breath before replying calmly. "I hardly think one piece of cheesecake is going to 'ruin' anything."  
  
"No matter. You'll be working the calories off later on tonight anyway."  
  
"Really Randy, I think you've got the wrong idea. We're out on a date and that's it. Nothing more will be happening after we're done here. You'll drop me off at my hotel room, we'll say goodnight, and that will be it. You'll leave and go back to your own separate room. Alone."  
  
Randy stayed silent for a while, obviously slightly taken back by Lita's straight out rejection of his 'advances'. After a few awkward moments, he shuffled in his seat and spoke quietly. "Okay. Fine."  
  
The dessert arrived shortly after, and the two ate their food in silence. The ride back to the hotel was just as silent, and even more awkward. Lita felt bad for causing Randy to shut down so much, but knew that she had to let him know exactly what was going on.  
  
Randy walked her up to her hotel room wordlessly and didn't even look at Lita until they had reached her door. She turned around before opening the door, and looked at him. "Um, this wasn't the way I had imagined this night." She played with her hair nervously, unsure of what to say to the man standing in front of her after such a horrible date. "Things didn't really work out, did they?"  
  
"Lita, I'm.. I'm sorry if anything I said or did during the course of the night offended you, or made you feel uncomfortable." Randy apologised, his head bowed slightly. "I was so taken aback when I saw you enter my locker room tonight... I'm just not sure how to behave around you."  
  
He looked up at Lita, and she found herself smiling back at him. She took his hand in hers, and squeezed it gently. "That's actually quite sweet, Randy."   
  
He smiled back at her, and she released his hand. "Well, goodnight. I'm sorry about.. you know. Anyway, I hope you liked the food." Randy offered a small smirk, and then turned away, walking down the corridor.  
  
Lita stood in front of her door for a while, watching as the brunette made his way towards the elevator. Her mind buzzed with different thoughts and feelings, and she acted completely on impulse as she called out his name. "Randy!"  
  
Randy turned around slowly, and walked back to the redhead, confusion obvious on his features. "What is it, Lita?"  
  
"I, um, well.." She gathered her thoughts before speaking again. "Tonight was a disaster. I have to be honest. But maybe, well, maybe we just got off on the wrong foot? Maybe we should try this again before we give up?"  
  
Slowly, a wide grin crept onto Randy's face, the corners of his mouth upturning and dimples appearing on his face. He stepped closer to Lita, and she felt herself become breathless. "I think that's a good idea." And suddenly, practically without warning, Lita felt Randy's lips upon hers.  
  
He pressed his lips gently onto hers, the touch light and gentle. Lita closed her eyes as her knees buckled at the feeling of Randy kissing her, his arm slowly wrapping across her waist. He pulled away, and studied her face. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at him softly. He returned the smile, and leant forward to kiss her once more, this time with slightly more pressure. Lita felt herself fall into the kiss, her eyes closing once more as she leant into his arms, savouring the moment.  
  
And at that very moment, although neither of the two took any notice, the elevator door opened, allowing Jeff Hardy and Christian into the hotel hallway. The two men walked towards their separate rooms, until Christian poked Jeff in the shoulder.  
  
"Um, have I had too much to drink, or is that Lita kissing Randy Orton?"  
  
Jeff immediately cast his eyes in the direction Christian was pointing in, remembering that Lita had told him that she had a date with Orton earlier that night. And sure enough, standing in her doorway, Randy was holding Lita tightly and they were deep in a kiss.  
  
The blonde canadian pulled out his key, and opened his room door. "Well, that's something I never thought I'd see!" He turned to Jeff, smiling. "Looks like she's over you and moved on too!"  
  
Jeff nodded at Christian as he entered his room, closing the door behind him. Jeff turned his attention back to the couple standing in Lita's doorway and felt a queasy feeling swirling in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly feeling himself starting to sweat, and then feeling his pulse race, Jeff reached into his pocket for the room key, praying that Trish was already in bed asleep so that he wouldn't have to explain his reaction to her.  
  
Entering his room quickly and shutting the door behind him, Jeff breathed deeply, calming himself before sliding into bed besides Trish, who slept peacefully.  
  
Yes, it looked like Christian was right. It looked like Lita was over Jeff, and that she had moved on. To Randy Orton. Wasn't this what Jeff wanted? For her to move on from their relationship, allowing him and Trish some peace? Didn't he want Lita to be happy? He thought he did, but as he lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling, he couldn't help but wonder that the thought of Lita with another guy made him sick. 


	5. Confessing?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: PG-13.  
  
CONTENT: A few swear words, a little betrayal, a touch of violence.. things that make a good fic!  
  
SUMMARY: When Lita lies to cover up the way she really feels about Jeff, will she end up in more trouble? Jeff/Trish, Jeff/Lita.. + Randy Orton, Batista and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.   
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Yes please! I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it - reviews make Cathie happy! So keep on sending them! Please! More!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
"He's an egotistical, conceited, self centred jerk who doesn't care about anyone else besides himself. All he ever talks about is how many girls he's scored with, or which diva here has the biggest rack, or who he'd like to get in the sack the most... he's an arrogant bastard!"  
  
Trish Stratus looked over at Jeff Hardy, who was painting his left arm as he stood in front of the mirror that hung on the wall. Sitting on the couch across the locker room, Trish shifted slightly as she looked at him. "Anything else you'd like to add?"  
  
Jeff looked at his girlfriend through the mirror and caught her gaze. He paused for a little while, completing the dark blue swirl on his shoulder. Then he looked up once more. "He has stupid hair."  
  
Eyebrows raised, Trish sent him a slight smirk. "Look who's talking."  
  
The youngest Hardy brother sent a quick glance towards his own hair, which was coloured with a mixture of dark red and purple. He then turned around to face the blonde diva, and smiled shyly. "Yeah, okay. I'll give you that one." A frown then slid onto his features. "But you can't deny that Orton is a narcissistic prick."  
  
"I don't know, Jeff. Why would Lita be with him if he was like that?" Trish stood up from the couch, and walked over towards him. "She's not a fool. She wouldn't stay with a man like that. And she seems pretty happy. I overheard her talking to Ivory the other day, and she sounded like she really liked Randy. She sounded like she was enjoying herself."  
  
"He must be lying to her, or pretending to be something he isn't." Jeff said quickly, shaking his head in confusion. "Randy Orton is not a nice guy. He just isn't. I don't care what anyone says; I don't like or trust Orton. I never have, and I never will."  
  
Trish placed a hand on Jeff's shoulder, and spoke quietly. "Well, maybe you'll just have to accept that Lita likes and trusts him. You never know Jeff, one day she might even love him."  
  
Jeff walked away, letting Trish's hand fall from his shoulder. He paced slightly, and let out a harsh sigh. "I have to go. My match is almost up." He gave Trish a peck on the cheek before leaving the locker room, shutting the door behind him.  
  
The petite blonde fell back onto the couch with a heavy sigh. Jeff had been acting strangely all week. He told her last week that he saw Lita and Randy together... kissing. He told her and they had both said that they were happy for the redhead. Happy that she had found someone and was moving on. But with each passing day, Jeff would grow more and more frustrated with the situation. He simply didn't believe that Randy was a good guy who deserved Lita.   
  
Trish had gotten sick and tired of hearing Jeff complain about the two and their relationship. Every day, there was something else that needed to be said about Randy Orton and his relationship with Lita. When Jeff had first started complaining about Orton, Trish assumed that he simply didn't like him. But now, she was beginning to wonder if Jeff was suffering from a case of jealousy.  
  
All the signs were there. The youngest Hardy wouldn't listen to anyone else, and could see no other view but his own. Yet he refused to talk to Lita; in reality Trish thought that he seemed very angry at the redheaded diva, even though she hadn't done anything to warrant Jeff's anger.  
  
Rubbing her forehead gently, Trish nodded to herself. Jeff was jealous. A small frown set upon her features, and she stood from the couch, making her way towards the arena hallway. She needed to talk to someone. Right away.  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita watched the monitor sitting in front of her as Jeff walked down the ramp to his entrance music, making his way to the ring where Christian waited. She didn't actually have a match scheduled for tonight, but she was here with Randy who was wrestling later on. At the moment, the Evolution member was warming up for his match against The Hurricane.  
  
Sinking back into her chair, Lita's thoughts turned to the brunette. They had been 'seeing each other' ever since their date last week, and even though she had spent quite a bit of time with Randy, she still wasn't sure what to make of him. At times he could be an ultimate sweetheart, and then in an instant he could turn into a rude, arrogant jerk. She wasn't sure which side was the real Randy Orton.  
  
A knock at her door brought her back to reality, and Lita welcomed them inside. She was slightly surprised when the door opened and Trish Stratus walked in. "Hey Trish. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Hi Lita. Listen, I just wondering if I could talk to you for a moment? If you have a spare minute." Trish asked politely, stealing a glimpse at the monitor in front of Lita, and recognising that Jeff's match was on.  
  
"Sure." Lita reached for the remote control, turning off the television screen. "Have a seat, Trish."  
  
The blonde diva sat down beside Lita, and sent her a small smile. Trish wasn't really sure how to approach this subject, but decided that she needed to try. She had to talk to Lita; figure out what was going on.   
  
"So, what did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Well, actually, I was just wondering about you and Randy."  
  
Lita rose an eyebrow at her friend. "What exactly were you wondering about?"  
  
Trish shrugged. "Nothing in particular. I've just overheard alot of things about the two of you... about you being pretty happy with him. And I've noticed that you haven't talked to me about anything that's been going on so, I was just curious. I just wanted to hear for myself how everything was going between you two."  
  
The redhead smiled slightly, a warm blush creeping into her cheeks. "I'm sorry that I haven't really talked to you lately, Trish. I guess I've just been so busy with Randy..."  
  
"So things are going well with you two?"  
  
"Yes. No. Sort of. Oh, I don't know." Lita ran a hand through her long hair, tucking it behind her ears. "Randy really does seem like a great guy. But there are times where he just seems... different. I'm just having a bit of trouble figuring out who he is."  
  
Trish nodded. "I guess that happens, when you get to know someone. It takes a while to truly learn who they are."  
  
Lita sighed, looking down at the couch, playing with the surface. "You're right, I guess. It's just.. hard. It wasn't like this with... I mean he isn't anything like...."  
  
"He's not Jeff." Trish said quickly, a frown beginning to form on her pretty face. "Is that right, Lita? Is that what you were going to say? Things were never like this with Jeff? Randy isn't anything like Jeff?"  
  
"No, no.. Trish, that's not what I meant. That's not what I --"  
  
"Look me in the eyes, Lita."  
  
Lita lifted her head slowly, her brow furrowed as she glanced at Trish, sitting next to her. "What?"  
  
The blonde canadian stood her ground, staring intensely at her friend. "I want you to look me in the eyes, and tell me that you are over Jeff Hardy." She shuffled over, sitting closer to Lita. "I want you to look me in the eyes, and tell me that you are not in love with him anymore. I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't want to be with him anymore."  
  
Lita's gaze dropped back to the floor, her red hair falling from behind her ears and curtaining her face. "I..." Her head still bowed, Lita played with her fingernails nervously. "Trish, I don't..." The redheaded diva sighed heavily, unable to complete the sentence.  
  
"I thought so."  
  
Suddenly, Lita's head lifted, and she looked at Trish with tears in her eyes. "I may still feel something for Jeff." She took in a breath, trying to will herself not to cry. "I may not be able to say truthfully that I'm over him, and that I don't love him anymore. Because maybe I still do. But all I want is for him - and you - to be happy." Lita wiped away a tear that made it's way down her cheek. "I want the both of you to be happy, and I know that that's with each other."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Don't try and make me feel better. I know that Jeff is happy with you. And I know that you're happy with him. And that's all I want." Lita stood up from the couch, wiping at her eyes. "I might be able to be happy with Randy. I'm not sure yet. I guess I'll have to find out. But as for you two... you know that you're happy. Don't let what I feel ruin that."  
  
Lita took a last look at the blonde diva sitting on the couch, and then turned for the door. "I have to go find Randy now. Wish him good luck before his match." And before Trish could say anything else, Lita had shut the door behind her.  
  
For the second time that night, Trish was left sitting in a room by herself. By two people that were both living a lie. Both were unable to tell the truth, and accept how they really felt. Trish knew something needed to be done, and soon.   
  
Things were starting to get very messy. 


	6. Attempted?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: M 15 +.  
  
CONTENT: This specific chapter, and the following - deal with attempted rape. If this type of material offends you, please do not read any further.  
  
SUMMARY: When Lita lies to cover up the way she really feels about Jeff, will she end up in more trouble? Jeff/Trish, Jeff/Lita, Lita/Randy Orton + many more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.   
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: I would muchly appreciate any feedback on this chapter. It's been a while since I've updated, and this was kind of a hard chapter to write. I'd like to know how you guys think I did. Did I pull it off? Let me know, leave me a review please!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
The dim glow from the television screen danced around the otherwise dark hotel room, gleaming flashing light onto the faces of the two figures who sat on the floor in front of the screen, their backs pressed up against the end of the bed. The man and woman sat next to each other, the sides of their bodies pushed up against each other, not a single molecule of air able to fit between their flesh. The man's arm lay draped over the woman's shoulder, his fingers sweeping over the bare skin of her shoulder, tracing idle circles.  
  
Soft, almost inaudible words were then whispered into her ear, his mouth just centimetres away from her lobe. He spoke, then pulled away, looking at her with a smile on his face. She laughed warmly, the sound echoing around the empty room. Hearing her laughter, he pulled her closer to him, wrapping another arm around her until she was sitting in his lap. Her face was so close to his own, that the tip of her nose touched his lightly. So close, that he was breathing in the warm air that passed out over her full lips, and drawing it into his own lungs. So close, that all he had to do was tilt his head slightly, and his lips were upon her own.  
  
The television still playing behind them, the two lost themselves in each other, their lips pressed against the others. Their lips danced, soft and gentle at times, and then in a breath, firm and passionate, almost fighting with each other. The woman gave an involuntary whimper as the man's hands ran up and down her sides, sending chills through her entire body as he kissed her hungrily. She sat further onto his lap, feeling his growing reaction to her presence, her arms banding around his neck.  
  
With a surge of desire, the dark haired man trailed his lips down her throat, nibbling and licking at the tender flesh. The woman's breaths grew heavy, her head tilted back and her eyes closed lightly. She ran her fingers through his hair, her nails raking his skin. She leaned forward again, kissing him long and hard. Breathless and filled with a craving that she had been missing, Lita began to wonder just how she got to this point with Randy Orton so quickly, and how close she was to not caring.  
  
Pushing all her wants and urges out of her head, Lita pulled herself out of Randy's grasp, sitting on the floor beside him. Both of them panting and catching their breaths, they looked at each other, Lita's eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and passion, and Randy's filled with frustration and desire. It was the brunette who spoke first. "Lita... is something wrong?"  
  
Roughly combing her fingers through her hair, Lita shook her head. "No, not really. I just..." she sighed, glancing over at the man beside her. "I think we're moving a little too fast. I'm not quite sure I'm ready for where we were going."  
  
With a sharp breath of air, Randy reached for Lita's hand, enveloping it in his own. "It's okay." He ran his fingers over her skin, making her nerves tingle at the touch.  
  
She sent him a small smile, thankful for his understanding and gentleness. Lita appreciated the fact that Randy could accept that she needed some time for things to progress in their relationship, and that he'd have to listen to what she felt she could and couldn't move onto -  
  
Abruptly, his lips were once again upon hers, as he moved towards her and wrapped her in his arms. She kissed him back, although taken by surprise by his sudden movement. Soon, she felt herself relax into the kiss, his tongue soon begging entrance into her mouth and again happily receiving it. Lita was intensely aware of her heart beating strongly and quickly in her chest as Randy pressed himself up against her. She hadn't felt like this since the last time she was with Jeff.  
  
The thought of Jeff entering her mind threw her, and she broke from the kiss suddenly. She looked over at the member of Evolution, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry Randy... I..." But before she could finish, Randy threw his hands up in the air, an almost angry grumble escaping his lips.  
  
"What's wrong, Lita?" He stood up from the floor, turning away from the red head and and pacing back and forth. "I'm trying really hard to understand you and what you're feeling, but it's hard. You're making it really hard for me." He sent a sharp glare her way. "One minute it's like you want me, the next minute you're completely rejecting me!"  
  
Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, wincing at the sound of irritation in Randy's voice, Lita kept still in her position on the floor. She quickly opened her eyes, looking up at the brunette standing above her. "That's not what I'm trying to do. I'm not rejecting you... far from it. You have to know that I want you. I want you alot, Randy. And that's actually what scares me so much."  
  
He knelt back down beside her, pressing himself against her so quickly Lita hardly had any time to comprehend what was happening. She felt his hot moth on the soft skin of her neck, and as she let out a breath of pleasure, the sensation of his teeth gnashing at the delicate flesh alerted her. Lita pushed against his shoulders, suddenly feeling the need of space between their two bodies. She muttered his name in discomfort, needing him to pull away. Instead, the touch of his hand on the bare skin of her stomach sent uneasy chills throughout her body.  
  
"Oh, Lita." Holding her against him tightly, Randy nibbled Lita's neck while his hand travelled from her stomach to the hem of her shirt, fingering the material lightly. Then his fingers ran over the skin beneath the shirt, his hand skimming it's way towards the swell of her breasts. "I know you feel what I'm feeling right now. This desire..." He seized the hollow of her neck with his tongue, his words becoming mumbled against her skin. ".. this heat... this intensity... this urge and lack of control over your body...." With his words, Randy let out a throaty growl, and pushed himself even closer to the diva, allowing her to feel his strength against her.  
  
Still shoving his shoulders away, Lita felt her heart beat rise in her chest with what she recognised as panic. What happened? What was happening? Things were just going on so quickly, and she suddenly found herself struggling against Randy's power and completely out of control. She heard herself release a whimper of pain as she felt his large hands grip her thighs firmly, his thumb running over the sensitive skin as he forced her legs open. "No!" She heard herself cry, the terror in her voice showing in the shaky waver. "Randy, please, get off!"  
  
"You feel it, I know you do." Randy's words were slick and lined with lust and fervour. "You feel it just like I do, Lita. These games that you play... all that playing around. 'I want you, I don't want you, but I really want you'. It took me a while, but I finally figured it out." He ran his hand through Lita's fiery red hair, pulling tightly so that her head snapped back. "You want me to take control. You want me to do this. You want it."  
  
Her panic rising with each of Randy's words, Lita struggled against the man, finding her strength and kicking and clawing at him, pushing him away. "No!" She screamed, her voice high pitched and desperate. "No, no! Get off me! Just get off me!" With a swift, deft kick to his groin, Lita managed to crawl away from Randy's writhing body, standing up quickly. She threw a glance at the dark haired man on the floor, curling up into a ball, and a sharp breath drew into her lungs as the realisation of what almost happened hit her hard.   
  
Eyes wide, breaths shallow - Lita felt her legs begin to move as she ran out of the hotel room, down the corridor towards her own room. Fumbling for the key card that was stuck in her pocket, the woman leaned against the wooden door to keep herself from falling to the ground as her knees buckled. She raised the key card to the slot to open the door, and saw how badly her hands were shaking. With some effort, she opened the door and stumbled into her dark and empty room. Flinging herself onto the double bed, and wrapped her arms around herself, images of what happened just seconds ago flooded her brain.  
  
Randy clutching at her, not letting go, prying her legs open, harshly whispering in her ear, forcing his lips onto hers. Lita felt a wave of nausea sweep over her, and she clutched a hand to her mouth as she ran to the bathroom, falling to her knees on the cold tiles and hugging the ceramic toilet bowl as the bile rose up in her throat.  
  
Randy had tried to rape her. 


	7. Belief?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: M 15 +.  
  
CONTENT: The following few chapters deal with attempted rape. If this type of material offends you, please do not read any further.  
  
SUMMARY: When Lita lies to cover up the way she really feels about Jeff, will she end up in more trouble? Jeff/Trish, Jeff/Lita, Lita/Randy Orton + many more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.   
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: It's been so long since I've posted... I need the feedback so I know you guys are still here and reading! Any notes and comments would be greatly appreciated guys! It's always welcome.  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Pushing himself off the floor, Randy Orton sucked in a deep breath through gritted teeth. He glanced towards the door that had slammed shut behind the redheaded woman as she fled from his room. His eyes narrowed as he stood, the pain shooting from his groin up to his stomach. Damn, that sure was one hell of a kick that woman had.  
  
Slowly, Randy made his way to the bed. He sat down on the side carefully, wincing slightly and squeezing his eyes from the pain. The brunette man sat still for a moment, resuming his breathing back to a normal rate before reaching for the phone and dialling. He put the receiver to his ear, and waited as he listened to the dial tone.   
  
The phone rang, and rang, and rang. No one answered. Frustrated, he slammed the phone back down on the handle, and raked a hand through his dark locks. Damn it, damn it, damn it. Growling to himself, Randy picked the phone up again, pressing the redial button. Pressing the receiver to his ear once more, he waited as the phone rang again. And again. And again. Still no answer.  
  
"Goddamn it Lita!!"  
  
Thrusting the phone heavily back onto it's handle, Randy got up from his position on the edge of the bed and paced around his room. He didn't know what to do next. Things were going so well with Lita, and then this shit just had to happen. Angry at himself for allowing this slip to happen, the dark haired man kicked at the bed post, causing a blunt, throbbing pain to fill his toe which caused his entire foot to ache. But that didn't matter.  
  
He had to talk to Lita. He had to sort this out. He had to sort this stupid, stupid mistake out.  
  
Sitting back on his bed with an aggravated sigh, Randy's thoughts flashed back to what had happened just minutes earlier. The night had been going so well. Just him and Lita, enjoying each other's company. Things were looking so good. And then when things started heating up between them... well, he had been pretty pleased. He'd been looking forward to moving onto the next level with his relationship with Lita, and he thought that tonight might have been the night that it happened.  
  
Randy held his head in his hands as he berated himself. He was such a stupid idiot for letting his out of control libido get in the way. All he had to do was be a bit more gentle, a little slower, slightly more considerate of how Lita was feeling... and maybe she would still be here with him. They would probably be in bed right now - kissing, caressing.... If he had just been a little more patient, he probably would already have what he wanted.  
  
He had to fix this. Now.  
  
If Lita wasn't going to answer her phone, then Randy would go straight to her room and talk with her, face to face. Then he would get this all fixed, and everything could go back to the way it was. He would have Lita again, and she would be his. It would work out okay.  
  
Standing from the bed once more, Randy straightened himself out, smoothing his shirt down and erasing the wrinkles in the material. He ran a hand through his hair, tidying his chopped locks. He cleared his throat, and made his way out the door of his hotel room, closing it behind him. Making sure his door was locked, Randy headed towards Lita's room.  
  
As he walked casually towards Lita's hotel room, Randy glanced at the numbers on the doors he passed. 322, 323, 324, 325.... Ah, here we go. Room number 326. Right at the end of the hallway; quiet, secluded, and away from the other crowded rooms. Not that many of the rooms would be full or even occupied tonight... Randy knew for a fact that many of the other WWE superstars had gone out for the evening.  
  
Glancing around carefully, the brunette man knocked on the door.  
  
No answer.  
  
He knocked again, this time with slightly more force.  
  
Still no answer.  
  
"Lita?" He leant in close towards the wooden door. "Lita? It's me, Randy. I just wanted to..." He trailed off as he put his ear closer to the door, and heard the faint sounds of crying floating through the wood.  
  
"Lita, please let me in. I know you're in there."  
  
He heard some sharp gasps for air, and then the crying became slightly louder. A yell drifted through. "GO AWAY!"  
  
Randy frowned, and placed his hand on the door knob, trying to open the door only to find that it was locked. "Sweetheart, let me in."  
  
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
  
His frown deepening, Randy leant on the door. "Please, Lita. Don't be so stubborn. I know you're upset, and I want to be able to make you feel better. I want to talk to you, that's all. I just want to apologise for what happened and explain why I did what I did and -"  
  
"I don't think anyone wants to hear any explanations from you."  
  
Randy's gaze turned from on the door, to the man who was now standing beside him. He rolled his eyes at the figure, pushing himself off from the door and standing straight. His hazel eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Can I help you with anything, or are you just gonna stand there and piss me off?"  
  
Jeff Hardy sent the brunette man a smug smirk. "You know what Randy, you can help me with something. You can help me by getting out of the way." Jeff gestured to Lita's door. "See, I have a very close friend in there who's crying her eyes out at the moment because her dickhead of a boyfriend just tried to rape her."  
  
The dark haired man folded his arms over his chest, and nodded at Jeff. "Oh, don't worry. I didn't do anything she didn't ask for."  
  
Growling dangerously, Jeff rushed at Randy, grabbing him by his shirt and throwing him against the hotel wall. He held him there, glaring at him menacingly with nostrils flaring and eyes blazing. Each time Randy fought to get out of the vice like grip, Jeff slammed him against the wall a little harder.   
  
"You listen here, Orton. I'm onto you. I've been onto you since day one. You may have been able to fool Lita and the others with your "misguided, but sensitive" act, but I was never fooled. I watched, just waiting.. just WAITING... until you slipped up and showed yourself for what you really are. And guess what? You just slipped up."  
  
"So a mistake was made. Do you really think it's going to make a difference? I will have that redhead crawling back to me on her hands and knees by the end of the night. SHE will beg ME to forgive her. And then I'm going to fuck that hot piece of ass until she screams for me to stop. And you listen closely to this, Hardy." Randy smiled wickedly, still pinned up against the wall. His voice lowered to a whisper. "There's not a damn thing you can do about it."  
  
Without a moment's hesitation, Jeff pulled his fist back and then thrust it forward into Randy's jaw, the brunette man clutching at his face with a yell of pain. Then as he left himself unguarded, Jeff brought his knee up to send a blow to Randy's stomach. He doubled over in pain, crumbling to the floor with a pained grimace on his face.  
  
Jeff stood over him, a finger pointed at him threateningly. "You dare talk about Lita that way again, and I will kill you."  
  
Randy squinted up at Jeff through the shooting pain in his gut, and the throbbing ache in his jaw. He opened his mouth to speak when the hotel room door before them inched open, a meek face peering through the small gap. Both men turned to look at the redhead, not saying a word.  
  
"Jeff, you're here." She whispered as she opened the door a little more, revealing her red and swollen eyes and her tear streaked face. "What's going on?"  
  
The youngest Hardy brother stepped toward Lita, his arms outstretched. "I caught this asshole out here, trying to come in, and I decided to give him a piece of my mind." He looked down at Randy quickly, then back at Lita. "Or should I say I gave him a piece of my fist."  
  
Lita's eyes flew to Randy on the floor, still wincing with pain. She sobbed quietly, tripping over her words. "Y-you hit him?"  
  
"You're damn right I hit him! How could I not? He was saying that -"  
  
"All I was trying to say, before Mr Macho here decked me, was that I had to see you and explain what happened." Randy's eyes locked onto Lita. "Lita, honey... I'm so sorry."  
  
The door now fully open, Lita stood in the door way sniffling and biting her lip to keep from crying more. "You can't just say sorry and expect me to forgive you like that, Randy. It doesn't work that way. What you tried to do in there just then..." She paused, taking a breath. "I don't understand why or how you could do that."  
  
The dark haired man looked up at Lita, ignoring Jeff's form that stood beside him. "I don't know what came over me. I had so many thoughts and feelings running through me and I somehow just couldn't control myself and..."  
  
"Oh, please." Jeff scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "He's obviously lying, Li. Just trying to cover up for himself."  
  
Lita looked at Jeff timidly, her head ducking slightly. "I want to hear him out, Jeff."  
  
"Lita!?" Jeff stepped towards her again, arms out and palms upturned. A look of disbelief was sitting firmly on his features as he looked at his friend.  
  
"Jeff, please, be quiet for a moment. I just want to hear what Randy has to say."  
  
Jeff turned around, facing the wall. He threw his hands up in the air and muttered to himself, "I can't believe this. I just can't fucking believe it."  
  
Lita glanced down at Randy, who was still slouched up against the wall, his hand running over his swollen jaw. She cleared her throat. "Randy, ignore Jeff. Just please, tell me why I should forgive you for that? Why I should even listen to you?"  
  
He looked up at her, his eyes full and moist. He spoke, his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just got so caught up in the moment... you know? I was with you and we were having such a good time and things just got so heated... I'm so, so sorry... and then I was just so confused, because I had all those things Jeff has said about you running in my head and even though that's not the reason I wanted to be with you, they were still there, and I was trying to fight the way I felt and -"  
  
"Wait a minute." Both Lita and Jeff turned to face Randy, Lita speaking first. "What 'things' that Jeff has said?"  
  
Randy's eyes opened wide, as if he had just realised something. "Oh, I don't know if you want to hear this, Lita. I think it's better off if you don't know. It might be too hard for you to hear."  
  
Lita turned to look at Jeff, her eyes quizzing him as she breathed in shallow breaths.  
  
Jeff shrugged. "I don't have a clue about what he's talking about."  
  
Turning back to give her full attention to Randy, Lita repeated her words. "What 'things' that Jeff said, Randy. And just tell me this time, okay? I can handle hearing it."  
  
Before he continued speaking, Randy took in a deep breath, still crouched on the floor. "After you guys had broken up, Jeff was going around the locker room telling all of us guys that you were a great lay - easy, too - and that the only reason he had put up with you for so long was because you were such a little fireball in bed."  
  
"Lita, that's not true!" Jeff turned to the redhead once more, shaking his head emphatically. "I would never, ever say anything like that about you... not to anyone! I swear I never said that! That piece of shit is making it all up!"  
  
Lita's red and swollen eyes began to tear up once again as she frowned at Jeff. "I can't believe it."  
  
"Good! Don't believe it, because it isn't true!!"  
  
"I'm sorry Lita. But I had all of that in my head, and it just kind of drove me to do what I did. I find you so incredibly attractive and beautiful, and I thought that you wanted to be with me... and things just kind of got out of hand from there." Randy swallowed hard, slowly getting up from his position on the floor to stand in front of Lita. "I never meant to hurt you."  
  
Still Lita glared at Jeff, her tears spilling over her cheeks as she blinked rapidly. "You son of a bitch."  
  
Jeff moved towards Lita quickly, but she instinctively took a step back. Surprised by the amount of pain he felt at her need to distance herself from him, Jeff took in a breath. "How can you believe him over me?" He frowned, unable to comprehend what was happening. "He's lying! He's the bad guy here, Lita. Not me. He's the one who tried to rape you! And just a few minutes ago he was BRAGGING about it!"  
  
"I can't apologise enough for what happened in my room earlier, Lita. You have to know I regret everything I did. You have to believe me." Randy locked eyes with the woman. "I think I'm falling for you Lita. And I don't want to lose you. Besides, just think about this: has Jeff ever apologised for hurting you as much as he did? For dumping you, and then two months later getting involved with one of your closest friends? Has he ever said that he never wanted to hurt you?"  
  
There was a silence as Lita wiped the tears away from her eyes, and chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she eyed both men standing in front of her. Her entire body shaking, and her lip quivering, Lita opened her door a little more. "Randy, come in."  
  
Randy moved forward, entering her hotel room. Lita looked steadily at Jeff, who stood frowning in confusion and anger. "Lita, I..."  
  
She shook her head slowly, not allowing him to finish. She closed the door, leaving Jeff standing in the hotel corridor alone, confused, and absolutely furious. 


	8. Angry?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: M 15 +.  
  
CONTENT: The following few chapters deal with attempted rape. If this type of material offends you, please do not read any further. Heavy language.  
  
SUMMARY: When Lita lies to cover up the way she really feels about Jeff, will she end up in more trouble? Jeff/Trish, Jeff/Lita, Lita/Randy Orton + many more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.   
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Ohyeah, keep it coming! I alway appreciate hearing what you guys think, so please send some feedback my way!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
"And so then I said to Benoit, I'm the Heavyweight Champion of the World... I am TRIPLE H, damn it! I could kick your scrawny Canadian ass in my sleep AND with my hands tied behind my back!"  
  
The three other members of Evolution exploded into laughter, and Hunter chuckled himself as he finished his story. The team of men where sitting at a table in the arena cafeteria before RAW, talking amongst themselves and insulting other wrestlers - as usual.  
  
Lita sat beside Randy Orton on the bench, his right hand grasping her left one tightly and possesively. Hunter and Ric Flair sat opposite them on the other bench beside the table, and Batista was placed on the other side of Randy. Lita sighed as the group laughed and continued to trash Chris Benoit and various other wrestlers.   
  
She'd been hanging around with Evolution alot more now, considering that her and Randy had become "semi-serious", in her own words. And all of the guys had been very friendly to her, unexpectedly. They welcomed her into their little clique with open arms, and for that she was grateful. Being around someone like Ric Flair, a legend in the business; Triple H, the current Heavyweight Champion; and Batista, a massive man who had a serious love of the business was a very unique experience, and she did feel lucky.  
  
But as grateful as she was to be in such high company, Lita couldn't deny the fact that all four men, Randy included, where entirely different to herself and any of her own friends. They were naturally arrogant, self centered, vain and rude to those they didn't like. It was funny, really, that sometimes when she was with Randy and the others, her mind would begin to wander and she'd find herself wishing that she was with Trish, or Christian, or Ivory, or... or...   
  
Jeff.  
  
As suddenly as the thought entered her mind, Lita was pulled back to reality by a tug on her arm from the man sitting beside her. She turned to Randy, her brows upraised in question.  
  
"Hey. You went all quiet for a while there. You alright?"  
  
Lita slipped a tight smile onto her lips, and nodded. "Sorry.. I'm fine. Just daydreaming, I guess."  
  
Randy let out an exaggerated sigh, smiling brightly at the redhead brightly. "Lita, I told you before, you really have to stop fantasising about me naked while we're out in public!"  
  
She giggled, he kept on smiling at her. She noticed that Triple H was still talking. "We should probably listen to what 'The Boss' is saying, " she whispered, using the nickname she had coined for the Heavyweight Champion.  
  
"Guess so." Randy sent her one last smile, and squeezed her hand before returning his attentions to Hunter and the other men. Lita's attentions, on the other hand, were brought right back to where they left off.  
  
Jeff Hardy.  
  
And then, as if by some unseen magnetic force, her gaze moved away from Triple H, and scanned the cafeteria. Lita wasn't even sure what she was looking for, until she saw them. Sitting at a table across the room. Laughing, smiling, holding each other's hands. Trish and Jeff.  
  
At the sight of them, she felt her stomach plummet. Why she still had such a violent reaction to seeing the couple, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that it wasn't nice - she felt like she wanted to throw up.  
  
The redhead couldn't tear her eyes away as she watched them together. She watched as Jeff fed Trish a chip from his hand, her mouth accepting the morsel of food willingly and even licking at his fingers slightly. The action made her breath catch in her throat, and she tried to force herself to be angry at Jeff. At Trish. At the both of them. How dare they be so damn happy together!  
  
But she couldn't. She couldn't be mad at Trish. Lita knew that Trish really cared for Jeff. And she couldn't be mad at the blonde diva for that reason. And she tried her hardest to hate Jeff. He left her. Left her for one of her best friends! According to Randy, he had even spread nasty things about her after their break up! How could he? The nerve of that man...  
  
She expelled a deep sigh, closing her eyes briefly. Who was she trying to kid? She wasn't mad at Jeff. Sure, hearing that he had said those things about her to the other guys hurt - ALOT. Lita was sure she actually felt her heart break when Randy told her what he had said. But while it pained her, she just couldn't be mad at Jeff. It was as simple as that. She loved him too much to hate him.  
  
But maybe it was time to stop loving him?   
  
He was with Trish now. Happily. She watched as a loud laugh from the couple rang out across the room. Yes, they were happy. And that was what she wanted. She wanted Jeff to be happy. And if he found that with Trish... then, maybe, she just had to accept that.  
  
Besides, she had Randy now. And Randy made her happy.  
  
Didn't he?  
  
***  
  
Jeff beamed as he watched Trish clumsily wipe away some tomato sauce that had dribbled down her chin while she ate. The blonde canadian giggled as she tried to wipe it all away with the back of her hand. She looked over at Jeff. "Is it all gone?"  
  
Nodding, Jeff reached over and wiped away a tiny drop on the corner of her mouth. "Now it's all gone." He paused, watching as she took a gulp from her water bottle. "Has anyone ever told you that you really are a really messy eater?"  
  
She wrinkled her nose at him, smiling. "Maybe I am, but it's all part of my charm, and you know it." He let out a chuckle, and Trish stood from her seat at the table. "I'm just going to quickly go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a sec. Try not to miss me too much, okay?"  
  
Jeff's gaze followed Trish out of the cafeteria doors, and once she had stepped out, he quickly scanned the rest of the room. The cafeteria was actually quite full, though it was still a few hours until RAW began, so it made sense that a few people were here, grabbing something to eat and simply hanging out. He spotted Victoria and Steven Richards sitting at one table; Ivory, Bubba and D'von at another; Shawn Micheals and Goldberg were sitting together on another table... and then a flash of red hair caught his eye.  
  
And there she was. Sitting with Randy and the rest of Evolution.  
  
It was kind of funny, actually. It had been a little over a month now since Jeff first found out that Lita was with Randy Orton, so he'd had plenty of time to adjust to that knowledge. Yet seeing them together, even now, made him feel... well, wrong. Made him feel like it wasn't real. Like Randy didn't have the right to have his hand on her waist. Like he wanted to go over there and rip that bastard's smarmy smirk right off his face...  
  
Then Jeff's intense gaze dropped to the floor. It didn't really matter what he felt, though, did it? Lita chose Randy over him. She just straight out picked Randy. And that killed Jeff.  
  
Just thinking about it, he felt his breathing quicken. He had felt so bad, standing outside of Lita's hotel room door with her and Randy in there, and him outside, alone. It was one of the worst feelings he'd ever had in his entire life. Knowing that the dark haired man was a lying, fake asshole, but also knowing that Lita really cared for him. It tore him apart.  
  
Hating how it made him feel, Jeff lifted his gaze from the floor and his eyes flew over to Randy and Lita once more. Instead of feeling a heavy sadness in his chest, he now chose to feel anger. Anger at Lita for so easily believing Randy over him, and anger at Randy for creating such a huge wedge between Lita and himself.  
  
Jeff's gaze hardened as he watched the couple from across the room. He stopped himself from letting out a growl when Randy turned towards Lita and whispered in her ear, as he snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She giggled in response, her smile bright. Jeff felt sick.  
  
Trish walked back into the cafeteria, her eyes immediately seeking out and finding Jeff sitting at their table. A smile was instantly on her lips just from the sight of him. She simply couldn't deny that she was falling for that man... faster than she thought was ever possible.  
  
As she neared him, she realised that he was frowning slightly. And looking across the room. Worried, she followed his gaze. When she spotted Lita sitting with Evolution, she knew exactly what held Jeff's attention so much. Randy and Lita.  
  
The smile slipped from her lips as she expelled a sigh. Jeff just couldn't get over this whole Lita and Randy thing. It was bugging him, in a big way - and Trish could tell. She could always tell. His whole body showed just how much it affected him, even if he completely denied it when she asked him about it. His words may say that he wasn't bothered by them being together, that he was just angry, but the way his body tensed at each of their names said otherwise.  
  
She walked over to him, breaking the trance he was in. "Whatcha looking at?" Even though she knew very well what it was.  
  
"Oh, uh, nothing." At her knowing look, Jeff's shoulders sagged. "I .. well, it just makes me mad, Trish. You know that."  
  
"I know hun, I know." Chewing on her lip, Trish reached out for Jeff's hand. "Come on, let's go back to the locker room now. We'll hang out there."  
  
Jeff took her hand, and they walked through the cafeteria, towards the hallway that took them to their locker room. It was then that they both realised they'd have to walk past Evolution's table. Stopping still, Jeff squeezed Trish's hand tightly. She looked over at him. "We can go out the other door, if you want."  
  
"It takes longer that way, Trish."  
  
"I know, but... I just thought maybe you wouldn't want to... I don't know. You and Lita have been avoiding and ignoring each other like crazy for the past week."  
  
Jeff rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm fine. Let's just go."  
  
They continued to walk, nearing Evolution's table with each step. And the closer he got to Randy and Lita, the angrier Jeff felt himself get. How could they just be sitting there, so happy? How could Lita trust him so damn much...  
  
Jeff and Trish were just passing the table now, and he could see the couple sitting together out of the corner of his eye, so Jeff quickly grabbed Trish's hand in his. He felt like he just needed to cling to her so badly. And they kept walking, and as they passed the table, Jeff began to feel better. Until he heard Randy, Hunter and Flair's voices.  
  
"Poor Trish. Do you think she knows what she's getting herself into?"  
  
"He's probably just in it to get some ass. Just like he was with Lita."  
  
"Maybe we should tell Trish what a jerkoff Jeff is?"  
  
Stiffening at the sound of their voices and what they were saying, Jeff wanted to turn around and leap at their throats. Instead, he merely clenched his jaw tightly and kept on walking. Then he heard Lita speak.  
  
"Maybe we should. I don't want Trish getting hurt... like I did."  
  
And that did it. The pain in her voice that he heard, even though he knew that she tried to hide it. He heard it. And that set him off like a fuse.   
  
Throwing away Trish's hand, he stormed over to the table wearing a furious frown. His nostrils were flaring, and his green eyes had darkened dramatically. He viciously pointed a finger at Lita as he spoke in a coarse voice. "I never meant to hurt you, okay? NEVER. And I don't care what that son of a bitch says, but I never said anything like that shit about you to anyone!"  
  
Lita watched him with wide eyes, shocked at his intense anger and unable to say anything.  
  
"But if you can't believe me, if you're going to let your freakin' LIBIDO decide who you believe, then fine! Believe Randy for all I care! I just can't believe that it was that easy for him to turn you against me. It was so DAMN EASY! Jesus Lita... didn't we mean anything to you?"  
  
Finally, Lita found the words she had been looking for. "Who the hell are you to talk, Jeff?! You hooked up with one of my BEST FRIENDS not even two months after YOU broke up with ME! So don't you dare ask me if we didn't mean anything. You belittled what we had first."  
  
"BULLSHIT! Just, bullshit!" Before Jeff had the chance to say anything more, Trish pulled on his arm.  
  
"Jeff, sweetie, let's go. Please."  
  
He didn't move.  
  
"You're girlfriend wants to leave, Hardy. Better do what she says. Wouldn't want her getting upset now, would we?" Randy said with a smirk.  
  
Trish sent him a cold stare. Her eyes slowly turned back to Jeff, now pleading. "Please, ignore them. Let's go."  
  
Staring at Lita, Jeff shook his head, then looked at Randy. "You know what? You want her, go ahead. I don't care anymore. If she's willing to believe your weak ass bullshit over me, and forget what we meant to each other, fine. I was just trying to look out for her, but if she'd rather date a guy who tried to rape her, fine. Fine. I just don't care anymore."  
  
And he walked away. Leaving Lita staring silently after him, with salty tears welling in her eyes. 


	9. Double date?

TITLE: False Appearances.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL:  
  
RATING: M 15 .  
  
CONTENT: Heavy language.  
  
SUMMARY: When Lita lies to cover up the way she really feels about Jeff, will she end up in more trouble? Jeff/Trish, Jeff/Lita, Lita/Randy Orton many more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have any affiliation with anything or anyone from the WWE.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: I will not function without feedback! I'm being totally honest here! I need it to LIVE!  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, I know. It's been absolutely FOREVER. I've had the worst case of writer's block ever known to man. But after months of bitching, crying, whinging and moaning.. I've finally been able to get a chapter done. Whoo hoo! I'm hoping this will get the creative juices flowing, so that I can start churning out the chapters more regularly.. like I used to. Fingers crossed.  
  
ANYWAY! Onto the story!  
  
------  
  
Trish Stratus lazily popped a piece of chocolate in her mouth, as she lay sprawled across the large hotel bed. Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked to her side at the man that lay next to her and smiled, her mouth still full of chocolate.  
  
"That's an extremely attractive look, you know."  
  
At his words, she smiled even more, giggling slightly. She ran her tongue around her teeth, licking away the chocolate. "Any look I have is attractive, honey. You oughta know that by now."  
  
Jeff Hardy rolled onto his back, and smirked at the ceiling. "You know I know that. That's how you manage to get away with everything. Just by giving me one of your little 'looks'."  
  
"Just one of my many talents," Trish breathed, crawling across the bed to climb ontop of Jeff. He took in a gasp as she settled on his chest.  
  
"You know, I should probably start learning how to say no to you. It's not healthy saying yes to you all the time."  
  
Leaning down to place a soft kiss on his lips, Trish chewed on her bottom lip gently. "You'd never be able to do it. I always get what I want." She bent down, capturing his lips with hers. She ran her tongue carefully across his bottom lip, causing a growl to escape from deep within Jeff's throat.  
  
As she pulled away, he looked up at her from heavy eyelids and sent her a small smile. "Mmmmm. Chocolatey."  
  
She laughed, leaning back to tuck her hair behind her ears. Gosh, she adored this man. This was so completely different to any other relationship she'd had before. Jeff was sweet, and funny. He made her laugh all the time. And he was gorgeous, and considerate, and sexy, and a great lover, and he always wanted the best for her. Sometimes, she was so overcome with happiness that her head would start spinning from it all.  
  
And she loved it.  
  
The thing with Lita and Randy had pretty much ended, now. It had been weeks since their confrontation before RAW that night in the cafeteria, and while things had been pretty tense and awkward after that, things were going pretty good. Well, if you could consider Lita and Jeff not saying a word to each other good, then yeah, things were going splendidly.  
  
Trish didn't necessarily agree with the ignore-and-avoid-it-and-everything-will-go-away method that both Jeff and Lita seemed to have adopted towards the entire situation, but all she knew was that Jeff had been happier the past few weeks than he had been in a long time. Probably ever since he found out about Lita and Randy. And Trish counted that as a definite plus. She loved having a happy Jeff, not a miserable, bitter, jealous one.  
  
Finally, it seemed that he had moved on from whatever it was that was making him so damn angry about Randy Orton and Lita. And the blonde haired diva couldn't have been happier.  
  
Giving him another soft kiss, she slowly slid off from ontop of Jeff, easing herself off the bed. "What time is our flight in the morning? I hope it's not too early. I've got quite a bit planned for us tonight."  
  
At the throaty tone of her voice, Jeff let out a muffled groan. "You're gonna be the death of me, Trish. You do know that, don't you?" She reacted with a smirk. "The plane leaves at eight. We have to be at the airport at least two hours before that."  
  
Pouting, Trish grabbed a hair tie from the dresser, and pulled her golden locks back into a loose ponytail. "Then I guess that means that we'll have to have an early night tonight. That's no fun."  
  
Jeff was about to answer, a cheeky glint in his green eyes, when the phone on the bedside table rang. He picked up the receiver quickly. "Hello?... Yes, speaking... good thanks.... ah, yes, I am actually.... it is?... great, I've been looking forward to getting it.... I'll be down in a minute... thanks." Putting the phone down, Jeff swung his legs over the side of the bed and ran a hand through his ruffled green hair.  
  
"Who was that?"  
  
"Just the desk clerk downstairs. He's got a package down there for me."  
  
The corners of Trish's lips turned up playfully. "A secret package?"  
  
Jeff shook his head, smiling brightly. "Nothing that exciting, darlin'. Sorry to disappoint you. It's just a new pair of ring pants. My old ones are starting to fall apart."  
  
Sauntering over to his side of the bed, Trish wrapped her arms around his neck, standing between his legs. "Nothing wrong with your pants falling apart, sweetie. I know I'd enjoy watching that."  
  
"Ha ha, very funny," Jeff turned his head slightly and placed a kiss on her arm. "Anyway, I'll just be a second and pop down and get it." As he tried to stand, Trish pushed on his shoulders and sat him back down.  
  
"You just stay right there, mister. I'll go get it."  
  
Jeff shook his head gently. "No, don't worry about it. I'll go down and get it. It is my package, after all."  
  
Trish scrunched up her nose, and gave him a wry smile. "Look buddy, I'm already up, so I may as well go get it. Plus, I need to decide if these new pants are worth keeping. They have to pass my high level of standards."  
  
He quirked an eyebrow at her. She didn't budge. "Fine, if you really want to go that badly."  
  
She stepped out of his arms, and made her way to the door. Giving him a wink, she stepped out into the hall. "See? I always get what I want."  
  
Closing the door behind her, Trish made her way down the hotel corridor towards the elevator at the end of the hall. As she walked, she giggled, thinking about how she was going to make Jeff give her a personal fashion show once she got back up to the room.  
  
Pausing at the elevator door, the blonde diva pressed the 'down' button. She watched as slowly, the elevator descended from the floor before hers. The metal doors opened with a high pitched ding, and she hesitated before stepping in.  
  
"Hey Stratus."  
  
She straightened her back, folding her arms across her chest. "Hello Randy."  
  
The dark haired man looked down at his feet before clearing his throat. "So, uh, how are you?"  
  
"I'm fine," she answered quickly, slightly uncomfortable. She intended to leave the conversation with that, but she stole a quick glance at the man beside her and realised that he looked genuinely interested. She let out a breath, and felt bad for being uncomfortable around him. Wasn't the one who was happy that Jeff was getting past this? There was no need for this tension between them. "How are you?"  
  
Randy looked over at her, seemingly surprised that she had spoken back. "I'm.. good, actually. Really good." Trish noticed that his shoulders relaxed slightly, as if he had let go of the tension between them, just as she had.  
  
She gave a soft smile, turning to face him. "Good to hear. And how's Lita doing?"  
  
She watched carefully as Randy's eyes lit up, the blue in his eyes suddenly seeming to sparkle. A smile appeared on his lips, his dimples digging into his cheeks happily. "She's great. Doing really well. We're actually planning on spending a weekend away together soon, probably within the next month or so."  
  
Trish's eyes widened. "Wow! That's... great to hear, Randy. Where are you guys going to go?"  
  
"Probably somewhere really remote, you know? Like in the middle of the bush somewhere, or on a deserted beach," he shrugged, almost shyly. "Something like that. I haven't got all the details planned, yet."  
  
Trish smiled at him. It was amazing, the way he spoke about it all. The tone of his voice, the look in his eyes... that smile! This man had fallen head over heels for Lita - there was no mistaking that! He absolutely adored her. Randy had gone from an arrogant, skirt-chasing asshole, to this beaming sweetheart. It was an incredible thing to see.  
  
"So, uh, how's Jeff doing, then?"  
  
Breaking out of her thoughts, Trish nodded at Randy. "He's doing pretty good, thanks. I'm actually on my way down to the front desk now to pick up these new ring pants that he bought... I swear, he's worse than me when it comes to clothes, sometimes!"  
  
They shared a good natured laugh as the elevator slowed to a stop, opening it's doors to the ground floor. They walked out together, still laughing.  
  
"I'm glad to hear you two are doing well," Randy said, glancing at Trish as they walked. "It seems like this relationship is a good thing for both of you. And, you know, if I seemed like a jerk that time in the cafeteria..."  
  
"Don't worry about it Randy. Things were really heavy and tense and just completely awkward then." She stopped walking, and trained her eyes on him. "Things are better now though, aren't they?"  
  
Randy paused, watching the petite woman carefully. Her question was actually more of a statement, one that he agreed with. His relationship with Lita was going exactly the way he wanted it to go, and they were happy together. And now it seemed that things with Trish and Jeff were moving along well, too. "Yeah Trish, they are."  
  
She smiled brilliantly, happy with his answer, and continued her way to the front desk. He followed quickly, catching up with her steps and they continued to walk together.  
  
"You on your way to the front desk, too?"  
  
Randy nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna ask the clerk if it's possible for them to bring up a bottle of champagne and candles and roses and all that kind of stuff with dinner tonight." He chuckled at Trish's amazed look. "I could've just called down from the room, I guess, but Lita's watching a movie in the room and.. I wanted it to be a surprise. I told her I was going to visit Batista for a little while."  
  
The blonde nodded her approval. "Good cover."  
  
They approached the front desk, and Trish told the clerk that she was there to pick up the parcel. She signed, and he handed her a white box, which she tucked under her arm before turning to Randy. "Well, I've got his pants. So, I'll be going back up now." She sent Randy a soft smile. "It was nice talking to you, Randy."  
  
"You too, Trish."  
  
She turned away, making her way back to the elevator, when she heard Randy's footsteps behind her. "Hey, Trish, you know, maybe we could get together sometime."  
  
Trish ducked her head, flushing slightly. "Randy, it has been lovely talking to you, but you know Jeff and I -"  
  
"I meant all of us. You, Jeff, me and Lita." He gave a crooked smile. "Kind of like a double date."  
  
She let out a tiny laugh at his words. "You know what? That might be nice. I like that idea."  
  
"Good. So do I." The dark haired man looked down at Trish gently. "It'd be nice if we could all be friends, you know?"  
  
"I know." Trish tucker her hair behind her ears. "I'll see you later, Randy."  
  
"See ya, Trish."  
  
The golden haired diva rode the elevator back to her floor, thinking about how pleasant it had been talking to Randy. And to think, that when she first stepped into that elevator with him, she had been overcome with anger for him. For what? Something that was over with now. Her conversation with him got her thinking. It would be fun if they could all get together, and put all this tension behind them once and for all. Then things could get back to normal, and everyone would be friends, and she wouldn't feel so damn bad every time she saw Lita...  
  
The ding of the elevator doors opening brought Trish back to reality, as she stepped out of the metal doors and moved down the corridor towards her room. She swiped the keycard quickly, and opened the door, holding the box out in front of her.  
  
"Ta-da! Here are the all important pants!"  
  
Jeff rushed up from the bed, smiling excitedly. He took the box from her, and tore at the wrapping that kept the package sealed. "I can't wait to see them! I can't wait to put them on! I can't wait to wrestle in them!"  
  
Trish shook her head playfully as she stepped towards him. "Just like a little kid opening his Christmas present."  
  
He spun around to look at her, eyes wide. "This is even better than a Christmas present! These are new pants!"  
  
Giggling, Trish pushed him towards the bathroom. "So hurry up and go put them on! I want my personal fashion show, and I want it now!"  
  
Jeff flew into the bathroom, kicking the door gently behind him, so that it stayed open slightly. "Alright, alright! If you hadn't of taken so long in the first place, I could already be strutting around in these babies for you!"  
  
Trish sat on the side of the bed, watching the crack in the bathroom door. "I ran into Randy in the elevator. We got to talking."  
  
Suddenly, the door opened, and Jeff emerged, wearing only his shirt and boxer shorts. "You spoke to Randy?"  
  
"Well, yeah. We were both going to the front desk, and we just started chatting."  
  
A frown appeared on Jeff's features as he stepped closer to Trish. "About what?"  
  
Trish looked at him with eyebrows raised. "About nothing in particular, really. About him and Lita, and me and you... and, what does it matter anyway?"  
  
Jeff continued to frown, until he slowly shook his head and turned back towards the bathroom. "It doesn't. I'm sorry.. forget it."  
  
"He did suggest that maybe the four of us should get together sometime and do something," Trish added, playing with her fingernails as she sat on the bed. "You know, like a double date. I told him it was a good idea."  
  
Jeff whipped around once more, an incredulous look on his face. "And you actually believe that's a good idea?"  
  
Startled by his snappish behaviour, Trish stood from the bed, her brow furrowing. "Yeah, I do! Why wouldn't it be?"  
  
"Trish!" Jeff held his arms out, gesturing to her. "You KNOW I can't stand Orton! You know that! I never have liked the guy, and I never will! And I haven't even spoken to Lita in over a month... It is just not a good idea at all, and I can't believe that you would think for a second that it would be!"  
  
"Maybe I just thought that you had actually started to get over all this crap, Jeff! I have! And it sure as hell looks like Randy and Lita have, too! So why haven't you? Why are you still so angry?"  
  
"Because!" Jeff stuttered, waving his arms in the air. "Because! Randy is a dick!"  
  
Trish's eyes darkened as she stepped closer. "No, I want a REAL answer. Why haven't you moved on from this, Jeffrey? Why is it still such a FUCKING big deal to you that Randy and Lita are together?"  
  
Breathing heavily, Jeff frowned heavily as he cast his glance down to the floor, unable to answer his girlfriend.  
  
"Jeff? Answer me!"  
  
Nothing.  
  
Trish bit her lower lip harshly, as she watched him stay still and silent and avoid her gaze. She turned to the door, her hand on the doorknob. "I can't stay here. I'm going to room with Stacy. I can't stand to be in the same room as you. And until you can give me an answer, a REAL answer that is the absolute truth..." she sighed sadly, unable to finish her sentence. Trish took a breath, glancing at the Hardy who still stood near the bed in only his boxers, his eyes on the hotel floor.  
  
"Until then, I don't want to hear another word from you." 


End file.
